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January 2, 2009 · The newly minted Airmen marched across the parade ground and over a new stone walkway that honors enlisted Air Force personnel who lost their lives in battle. Rodney McKinley, the 15th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, was present to dedicate the Enlisted Heroes Walk.
"This is paying tribute to all those great heroes that came before us and the great things that they've done, and it's just and an honor to be a part of this and to see it done, because from this day on, every new recruit is going to be marching across this and learning about our heritage," said McKinley.
The event also marked the first recruiting class of Airmen to graduate from the new basic training program extended by 2 weeks. It featured a new week-long combat simulation. Officials hope it will better prepare Airmen to defend themselves as they're deployed to war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan. Twenty-one year old Airman Jerry Green from Boston was happy to be one of the first in the Air Force with the new and improved training.
"It means a lot to me. It means that I've done a lot more than other Airmen have done, and I've paved the way for a lot more Airmen to come, so it feels really good," said Green.
The graduation ceremony gave the new Airmen and their families a few moments of celebration before they deploy to their new duty station.
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